South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865 · scan page 42

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34  MINISTRY   OF    DK.    STILES,
wards,  a  secon  1  time,  at  the  East,  I  could  anticipate  his
arguments  and  illustrations,  wilhout  the  least  abatement  of
interest.
"Occasionally  he  illustrated  particular  points,  either  by
anecdotes  or  comparisons,  which  were  always  in  good  taste,
and  told  on  liis  audience  with  prodigious  power.  Thus,  I
remember,  he  illustrated  the  necessity  of  a  sinner's  casting
himself  loose  from  every  refuge,  on  the  mercy  of  Christ,  by
the  sou  of  a  stern  sea  captain.  One  day,  when  the  ship
was  at  anchor,  the  boy  had  climbed  to  the  very  top  of  a
mast,  and  had  lifted  himself  up  so  that  he  stood  on  the
mast's  top,  on  a  place  scarcely  large  enough  for  his  feet,
with  nothing  above  him  to  cling  to.  To  attempt  to  stoop,
in  order  to  catch  something  below,  would  be  to  lose  his  bal-
ance and  fall  to  the  deck.  A  cry  of  alarm  ran  through  the
ship  as  his  perilous  situation  was  perceived  by  the  sailors.
The  father,  coming  from  his  cabin,  saw  tliat  his  son  had  no
chance  of  life  but  to  spring  from  that  dizzy  height  hito  the
water ;  and  seizing  his  rifle  with  one  hand,  and  tlie  speaking
trumpet  in  the  other,  standing  where  the  boy  could  sec  him,
he  cried  to  him  in  piercing  tones  of  command,  'Jump  into
the  water,  or  I  will  shoot  you!'  For  a  moment  the  boy
seemed  wavering.  Every  eye  was  fixed  on  him  with  ago-
nized intensity.  The  delay  in  obeying  that  stern  voice  was
but  momentary,  and  the  boy  sprang  into  the  air.  As  ho
reached  the  water,  several  sailors  sprang  in  and  brought
him  in  safety  to  the  deck.
"This  is  a  very  meagre  outline  of  a  most  thrilling  illus-
tration. The  language,  and  tone,  and  nuumer,  were  highly
dramatic,  but  perfectly  natural,  and  the  imagination  was  so
stimulated,  that  it  reproduced  the  scene,  until  it  seemed  an
actuality,  and  not  a  narrative.  80  powerfully  wrought  up
was  the  whole  scene  as  to  put  the  hearer  into  an  excitement
really  painful ;  and  yet  the  anecdote  was  not  suiTered  to  dis-
tract the  mind  from  the  point  in  hand,  for  instantly  the
preacher  began  to  describe  the  danger  of  the  impenitent
sinner,  with  overpowering  earnestness,  and  \mut  to  Christ
as  the  only  possible  salvation.  The  eflect  here  produced
was  a  triumph  of  eloquence,  at  least  so  far  as  to  kindle  the
emotions  of  an  audience  in  a  very  high  degree.    *     •     •

Cite this page

Silent Grounds Collective, Church Burial & Death Records, CH-P004-0042. South Congregational Church history and catalogue, 1852–1865, printed page not verified, PDF page 42. Hallock, Gerard, 1800-1866; digitized copy contributed by University of California Libraries https://archive.org/details/historyofsouthco00hall/page/n44/mode/1up Accessed September 8, 2026.

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